The Fantasy Film

The Fantasy Film provides a clear and compelling overview of this revitalized and explosively popular film genre. Often overlooked by scholars who feel it unworthy of serious consideration, the fantasy genre is also troubled by the  difficulty of classifying films that often bear little resemblance to one another and that straddle related genres like horror and science fiction. The recent success of Hollywood blockbuster and independent films alike has sparked critical interest in the fantasy film and re–invigorated discussions of its unique generic qualities.

Providing in–depth historical and critical overviews, The Fantasy Film explores the boundaries of fantasy throughout history and the expansion of this important genre in contemporary film. Covering early classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Harvey, recent entries like Spider–Man and Shrek, and blockbuster series such as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, this clear and definitive introduction is the ideal companion for film students and scholars alike.

List of Plates ix

Acknowledgements xi

1 What′s in a Name: Defining the Elusive Fantasy Genre 1

2 Once upon a Time: A Brief Historical Overview 15

3 A Brief Critical Overview: Literary and Film Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror 38

4 The Wizard of Oz (1939): Over the Rainbow 55

5 Harvey (1950): A Happy Hallucination? 68

6 Always (1989): Spielberg′s Ghost from the Past 81

7 Groundhog Day (1993): No Time Like the Present 92

8 Big (1988): Body and Soul/"Hearts and Souls" 104

9 Shrek (2001): Like an Onion 114

10 Spider–Man (2002): The Karmic Web 124

11 The Lord of the Rings (2001 3): Tolkien′s Trilogy or Jackson′s Thrillogy? 134

12 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005): A Joyful Spell 145

13 Harry Potter I–VI (2001–9): Words are Mightier than the Sword 156

14 Conclusion: Imagine That! 171

References 175

Index 186

Katherine A. Fowkes is Professor of Media and Popular Culture Studies in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication at High Point University. She is the author of Giving up the Ghost: Spirits, Ghosts, and Angels in Mainstream Comedy Films (1998).

"In true reflection of its straightforward if generic title, The Fantasy Film presents a useful foundation for deeper reflection on the complexities of the fantastic in film."  (Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 1 February 2014)

"Written in prose that is careful and cogent, the book provides a defence of what Fowkes calls the "orphan" genre (unloved; neglected even, perhaps, of questionable legitimacy), one which she argues has long been excluded from serious analysis by "dogmas of realism" that privilege "codes of. . . mimesis." (The Times Literary Supplement, 18 February 2011)